Switching devices for switching electrical currents typically comprise at least one contact system and further housing modifications. The contact system forms an electrical switch and is used for switching electrical currents.
One class of switching devices are the so-called circuit breakers, which can typically switch currents of 100 A or more. These circuit breakers comprise a housing, in which the individual phases of the currents are switched. The individual phases of the currents can be accommodated in pole cartridges, which are enclosed by a dedicated housing.
A movable and a fixed contact are accommodated in the pole cartridges, the movable and fixed contacts being separable mechanically or brought together in order to switch off or on the currents. During separation of the movable and fixed contacts of a pole cartridge, an arc is produced which is typically quenched in a so-called quenching chamber. Likewise, circuit breakers are known which do not contain any pole cartridges and which accommodate movable and fixed contacts in their housing.
In the housings of the switching devices, in addition to the switching mechanism which can be actuated manually by way of a handle, for example, accessories can also be accommodated. Typically, the accessory is accommodated in a pocket in the housing of the electrical switch. The accessory is typically covered by an accessory cover, with the result that the accessory is protected from unauthorized access.
The accessory cover itself is often designed in such a way that, when the switch is switched on, the accessory cover cannot be removed from the housing of the electrical switch. For safety reasons, the electrical switch should be prevented from being switched on when the accessory cover is open.